Royal Ascot Odds Update: Yeats runs four stone below best but Timeform keep the faith

Royal Ascot / Timeform / 17 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

Get the Timeform view on Thursday's big race, the Gold Cup.

Yeats goes for an historic fourth consecutive Gold Cup win at Ascot tomorrow and, despite running a shocker on his reappearance at Navan in April, Timeform are keeping the faith with the eight-year-old.

And so are the Betfair punters, who have installed him as the [3.25] favourite for the Ascot staying crown.

Timeform relate that he ran an amazing four stone below form at Navan, but still have him 5lb clear of Thursday's opposition.

Timeform spokesman Kieran Packman explained: "The Gold Cup revolves around Yeats, there's no doubting that, as he bids for an unprecedented fourth success.

"A replication of the form shown in any of his previous three wins will be good enough, but the fact he's available at the price he is obviously stems from his uncharacteristically dismal reappearance.

"On that occasion, on heavy ground, he ran some four stone below his best, by some way his worst performance since disappointing in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud way back in 2005.

"Given stamina/well-being concerns surround Eastern Anthem, who's second top-rated on his Nad Al Sheba win in March, and Geordieland is held by Yeats on all three previous meetings, Yeats strikes us as well worth keeping faith with at current odds."

Timeform Ratings for Gold Cup (weight-adjusted)

Yeats 140
Eastern Anthem 135
Geordieland 134
Veracity 131
Patkai 130
Sagara 126
Washington Irving 125
Centennial 125
Hindu Kush 121